Peach Schnapps and Gun Powder
by MsMarilynAdams
Summary: Bethyl. AU. Non-Zombie. With a crumbling marriage and sick child, Daryl Dixon struggles to keep financially afloat despite the ever growing pile of Sophia's medical bills and fights with Carol. When Hershel Greene throws the exhausted tracker a bone, he takes up the offer without a second thought. Working at the farm becomes less stressful when he befriends the farmer's daughter.
1. Chapter 1

/This fanfiction came from a roleplay between a friend and I a few years back. BethxDaryl (I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP) AU. If you could not tell in the series, Daryl is in his late 30's, mid 40's and Beth clearly just turned 18 in the series. I know this rubs a lot of people the wrong way and I know the story will upset a lot of CarolxDaryl fans so apologies ahead of time. Now, a lot of the roleplay was lost but I will try to re-write it as best I can from what I remember up to the point where we both kind of lost the will to write it. I will continue it on, of course. Hopefully. I'm a terrible procrastinator if you haven't noticed yet. Anywho, sorry ahead of time for the offenses and the slight change of time line. I repeat, this is an AU non-zombie. I will be also writing an alternate ending for the actual show later on where Beth is never kidnapped. Enjoy and remember to leave comments with feedback. Regards, T./

He took another breath, roughly rubbing his hands across his face. Daryl Dixon sat at his kitchen table, all the lights off save for the dim one that hung over head. Spread out on the table between his elbows were the high pile of bills he was trying to figure out a budget for.

"We just don't have enough money..." He grumbled in defeat, picking up one of the many medical bills he and Carol had received from Sophia's cancer treatment. It had only been a few months ago that Sophia had been running around, happy and full of life. Now, she could hardly be awake without becoming sick. The Chemotherapy wasn't showing any progress and all he saw it doing was making her unable to eat or have any energy or anything a child should be able to do. As of right now, and all day as a matter of fact, she didn't want to leave her room. Well, more like she didn't have the energy to do much aside from play with a few of her dolls and read in bed.

From the kitchen, he heard footsteps coming down the carpeted hall. His muscles tensed as his wife, Carol, stepped into the dimly lit room. Her eyes met his briefly as she moved to lean against the counter to his left.

"So, what's the verdict?" She asked, her voice devoid of emotion. It had been for a while. Things weren't the way they were when they were first married. Hell, the whole marriage happened simply because he'd gotten her pregnant and didn't want to be a deadbeat like his own father. He had been in love with Carol but sometimes people fell apart. They became distant. More like roommates than a married couple. After Sophia had gotten sick, things had really taken a nosedive. Carol had quit her job to be home with their little girl all the time. Daryl was fine with it but it meant that he had to take more hours at the shop, coming in earlier and keeping the shop open later. He also had to let a few of his crewmen go and he had to take their place in fixing the vehicles himself, meaning that he was away most of the time. While he did what he could, the lack of job and stress of Sophia was eating away at Carol.

She knew the love that was once there had dissipated. She didn't want to blame Daryl but she couldn't help but think that he was the one who ruined it. She understood that he needed to work all the time in order to support them financially right now but this was going on far before Sophia had gotten sick. Daryl didn't open up the way normal people do. She only just found out he had an older brother last year. His silence was what caused the coldness in her. He didn't talk, he didn't feel. She didn't even know why they were still together except for they had little time to do anything besides take care of Sophia. She watched him now, taking in the lines of worry that marred his face, the dark circles around his eyes.

"We're short. A lot. I'm going to have to find another job," he grumbled under his breath, not taking his eyes from the mess on the kitchen table. He glanced up at her and stood, seeing her face start to go red again. He wanted another job? She opened her mouth to tell him that him being gone more wouldn't help her or Sophia. To yell, tell him something, anything to vent this disappointment and sadness and anger that had been building up inside her for years. To tell him to sell that stupid crossbow or the motorcycle he never uses. But before she could he grabbed his jacket and truck keys and headed for the door. He didn't want another argument. He didn't want Sophia to be woken from the sounds of their screaming. He already suspected that she knew what was going on and he didn't want his little angel to blame herself. He knew Carol was frustrated with the lack of love in the relationship. The fallout had affected him as much as it had her. But now it was just constant fighting and he had his daughter to think about. She would always come first.

As he got into his beat up old Ford and started it up, he glanced at the digital clock on the dash. 7:14 AM. Another all-nighter. Didn't matter. He didn't have time to sleep. In a little less than an hour, he'd have to be in his shop. He sighed, rubbed his face, the stubble on his cheek scratching at his hand, and pulled the truck out of the drive.

9:36 AM

"Needing another job? The bills getting a little steep?"

Daryl nodded from beneath the old Plymouth hood. A drop of sweat rolled down the tip of his nose and fell onto the grease-blackened metal of the engine. He stood, moving from under the hood and wiping his forehead with the back of his bare arm as he looked at the man who had been talking to him for the past half hour.

Hershel Greene was a common face around the garage. Daryl had been turning up his old car for years, making sure it stayed in the best shape that the old car could. Over the years, Daryl and Hershel had gotten to know each other though not too intimately. Daryl knew Hershel had 3 kids and was married, a veterinarian by trade and generally a good man. Hershel knew that Daryl was a hard worker and hardly ever shown any sign of weakness, of the worry and stress that was overwhelming him from his daughter's quick decline along with his marriage. It was a small town and it wasn't long before even Hershel knew that the Dixons were in turbulent waters.

"Yeah, I just can't find a way to work around them and the damn insurance company is giving us all kinds of Hell. After we close the shop tonight I guess I'll go to Lincoln and see if anyone's hiring over there. Figure it's only a 30-minute drive, ain't too bad," the younger man said, shrugging his shoulders a bit before ducking back under the hood. Silence loomed for a moment. Hershel shifted slightly in the waiting chair he was sitting in, the plastic creaking beneath him as he began to take a good look around.

A few of the men that had worked there in the months' prior hadn't been showing up and Daryl had been working on most of the cars himself, staying late into the night. Hershel remembered coming into town for an emergency vet call a week ago at about 2 AM and spotting the garage lights on and the main door up. He let his eyes roam over the scene a bit longer, taking in the multiple cars in different stages of repair, before letting them fall back on Daryl.

"You know, son, I'm not as spry as I used to be around the farm. I've been looking for some help that I wouldn't have to teach and mentor," Hershel said as he gestured with the cane in his hand. Most days he didn't need the cane. Most days it didn't hurt. But some days, well, it was just easier on his hip. The young man in question stopped and turned his head to look at the old man from beneath a fringe of dark hair.

"What? Are you…I mean…" Daryl didn't know what to say. Hershel was known for being more than generous to his farmhands. He had a large farm that had to be more than the old man could handle by himself anymore.

"I'm offering you a job, Daryl. My old farmhand left a few months back for college. Now, normally I give the young men around our community a chance for the job but, like I said, I can't exactly teach and tutor and be hanging around them to make sure they're doing everything right anymore," Hershel said as he stood, leaning heavily on the wooden cane. He held out his hand to Daryl as the younger man once again ducked out from beneath the car hood. He couldn't help the grim smile that graced his face. Cleaning his hand on the grease towel that hung from his pocket, he reached out and firmly shook Hershel's hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Greene. You won't regret this."


	2. Chapter 2

PEACH SCHNAPPS AND GUN POWDER CHAPTER 2

His first day at the Greene farm hadn't come soon enough.

When he had brought up that he had found more employment, that he would be gone a lot more, Carol hadn't been to happy. There was a quiet resentment in her eyes as she watched him get dressed that morning.

"Don't forget about your sick daughter," she'd clipped as she sat with her back to him on the edge of the bed. Anger flared in Daryl's chest.

"I'm doing this _for_ my daughter. You think I want to be out there busting my ass day and night? I don't; I'm exhausted, Carol, but we don't have a damn choice. So how about you stop busting my chops and show some damn appreciation," he snapped back, tugging on one of his flannel shirts with the sleeves taken off. He picked up the keys to his bike and exited the room before she could reply. Normally, he ignores the remarks, he knew she was stressing just as much as he was but he was just too tired to bite his tongue.

He fired up his cycle and pulled it out of the garage before tearing off down the road as the sun broke the horizon. It was a 20-minute drive to the Greene's and the cool wind of the morning whipped around his face, neck and arms. For those few minutes, he just enjoyed the wind, the freedom. In those moments, the disappointment, the fear and exhaustion didn't matter.

The Greene Farm was a massive affair. The large white house sat smack dab in the front, the wrap around porch and open windows giving it an old, welcoming feeling. Off to the back on the left, he saw chicken coops and ducks waddling across the lawn. To the right, down some ways, were a few apple, peach and pear trees, the fruits ripe and ready in the cool morning air. Behind that and on the other side of the road from the house were cattle and a small pig pen. A large barn, the doors open and exposing a large tractor, four wheelers and a beat-up old Chevy, stood closer to the house.

As Daryl pulled up, he paused momentarily in front of the homestead. He could he faint conversations coming through the open windows along with the smell of bacon, making his stomach grumble. Slowly, he pulled into the drive and parked the Triumph carefully before walking up to the front door. The second porch step groaned under his weight and he made a mental note of it to fix at a later date. Daryl pushed some of shaggy, dark hair out of his face and took a deep breath, bringing his knuckles up to wrap against the painted wood of the screen door.

Beth Greene had just managed to finish drying the dishes, slipping by her sister, Maggie, and her new boyfriend, Glenn, to put the plates up on the table as everyone chatted. This was a typical Saturday morning in the Greene house. The kitchen was full with herself, Maggie and Glenn and Otis as she was trying to get breakfast made. Maggie bustled past her, planting a chaste kiss to the top of the blonde's head, a bowl of biscuit dough in her arms.

"Why don't you run out and get a few more eggs, Beth? Daddy says he hired a new hand and he's gonna need something to eat too if he's gonna tackle all that Dad wants him too," She said as she placed the bowl on the counter and began dusting said counter with flour. Beth grinned and nodded as she finished placing the plates. Tucking a piece of blonde hair behind her ear, there was a loud knock at the front door.

Snatching up the egg basket from its place at the end of the counter, she headed towards the door.

"I'll get it! I'll be back with the eggs in a second," she called over her shoulder as the 18-year-old headed out. She moved quickly to the door but stopped just before reaching it.

On the other side, looking off to his right, was Daryl Dixon. She had seen him around town a few times, mostly at the garage he owned. Honestly, she had thought he was cute. Most of the young girls in Kings County did. With his dark looks and serious countenance, he was instant hit with the ladies in Kings County. The younger Dixon brother had been as notorious as his older brother for years. But then he got married and seemed to do a 180. He started his garage, severed ties with Merle and built a life. He was good man and Beth knew Hershel respected him. When word started around town about his daughter dying and troubles in his marriage, Beth felt only pity for the man. He always looked aloof but now he only looked exhausted and sad. There was an echoing emptiness that reverberated from him now and it broke Beth's heart every time she caught a glimpse of him.

Now, on the porch, it wasn't any different. In the glare of the morning sun against his tanned skin and dark hair, that darkness still clung to him. As she reached the door, he took a step back, giving her space to push open the screen door and step outside with him.

Daryl shifted on his feet and pushed his hair back.

"Mornin', ma'am. Is Hershel up and around yet?" he asked, his dark eyes meeting her blue ones momentarily. Beth gave him a soft smile and nodded.

"Daddy's in the barn, Mr. Dixon. Here, I'm headed that way; I'll take you," she said softly, holding the egg basket in front of her as she gave a small nod and headed down the steps. Daryl hesistated, watching the small blonde move out into the bright sunlight, the glare making her almost difficult to look at as he began to follow her. He'd never met any of Hershel's children but this one looked familiar. Maybe he'd seen her around town.

The walk to the barn was silent save for Beth's chatter about how he was going to love it here. He grunted a few replies, following a few steps behind the young teen, a dark cloud chasing the sun. When they reached the barn, they found Hershel with his sleeves rolled up and half inside an old tractor, looking at the motor.

"Ah! There you are Daryl. Just in time too. It seems this job is more suited for a professional like yourself, son," Hershel said with a laugh and small smile as he straightened up. His eyes met his youngest daughter's and he gave a nod.

"I see you've met my youngest, Beth. She'll be the one helping you with most of the two-body chores around here," the old man stated, moving to put his arm around his daughter and Daryl moved closer to the motor of the tractor, ready to work and fall into something where he didn't have to think about the hellish mess that was his mind. He nodded at Beth and held out his hand for the smiling girl to take.

"Probably shoulda' introduced myself when you answered the door," he said quietly, slightly embarrassed as he picked up a socket wrench from the small toolbox at his feet where Hershel had left it.

"It's alright. I know you're a pretty quiet guy," she replied after shaking his hand. Daryl looked at the both of them and then gave a small nod before giving a jerk of his arm to gesture towards the broken machine.

"So, what exactly happened when this broke down?"


End file.
